Fire-extinguishing system.



I. GORNELIUSSEN.

FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.17, 1909.

Patented Feb. 7, 1911.

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IVAB COBNELIUSSEN, OF GALVESTON, TEXAS.

FIBE-EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 7, 1911.

Application filed September 17, 1909. Serial No. 518,158.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, Ivan GORNELIUSSEN, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Galveston, county of Galveston, and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-ExtinguishingSystems, of which the following is a specification, and which areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to the systems for distributing water forextinguishing fires in buildings, its object being to provide improvedmeans for delivering water to the various parts of a series of buildingswhen arranged in blocks, or series of blocks, and it consists in theparts and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and illus tratedin the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a detail diagrammaticview of a series of business blocks and of the ground plan of the pipingused in connection therewith; Fig. 2 is a detail, part in section andpart in elevation, of the connection between the piping relating toadjacent blocks; Fig. 3 is a detail elevation, part in section, of thehydrant for connecting the street main with the piping system of a blockof buildings; Fig. 4 is a sectional detail through the ceiling of abuilding and a sprinkler head adapted to be used in connection with theimproved system; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic vertical sectional view of abuilding showing the application of piping thereto; Fig. 6 is asectional detail on the line (3-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a diagrammaticsectional detail showing a standpipe for carrying water upwardly into abuilding and a means for controlling the several valves therein; Fig. 8is a similar view taken 90 from the point of view of Fig. 7; and Fig. 9is an elevation, partly in section, of a hydrant for delivering waterfrom an engine to the piping system of the block.

Referring to Fig. 1, the dotted line 15, 1G, 17 represents the outerlines of block of buildings, the outer edge of the sidewalk surroundingsuch block being indicated by the dotted lines 18, and the space betweenthe lines 18 and adjacent blocks indicating the street between curbs.

At 19 there is shown an ordinary water main as is in common use fordistributing water to the various parts of a city. Each block ofbuildings is surrounded by an auxiliary water main as 20, 21, preferablylaid in .the street and outside of the curb line. Each of the auxiliarymains is connected with the main 19, by a hydrant 22, in communicationwith the main 19, through a pipe 23, and with the auxiliary main througha pipe 24, this hydrant preferably being located just inside of the curbline.

The hydrant 22 is of special form, having one passage for bringing thepipes 23 and 24 in communication, and another passage 26, leading to theusual nipples 27, 28, to which the pipes of a fire engine may beattached; and there being a valve 29 for cutting oft the passages 25, 26in alternation. A hydrant 30 (Fig. 9) having hose-attach ing nipples 31,communicates with the auxiliary main as 21, and is provided with aninwardly opening valve 32 for cutting off communication with thenipples, pressure within the main auxiliary tending to hold the valve toits seat.

Adjacent auxiliary mains, as 20, 21, are united by means of pipes 33,34, in communication through a valve casing 35 within which there ishoused a valve 36 for closing such communication.

Standpipes as 37, 38, lead upwardly into each block of buildings fromthe auxiliary mains as 21, such standpipes being as numerous as may berequired, and each preferably being provided with a controlling valve as39, located at its base. From each standpipe, as 37, there are lateralleads, as 40, 41, for the several floors or the several rooms of abuilding, and each of these laterals is controlled by means of a valve,as conventionally shown at 42, 48, such valves being operated by meansof cables 44, turning about sheaves 45, and controlling pulleys 46,preferably located within a manhole under the sidewalk.

In Fig. 5 there is shown a building having a single story, in which casethe standpipes are controlled by means of valves conventionally shown at47, at their lower ends, such valves being controlled by means of cables48, leading to a controlling wheel 49 in a manhole outside of thebuilding. At the outer ends of the standpipes, as 50, used in such abuilding, there may be located spraying pipes of any desired form asrepresented at 51, and there is also shown spraying pipes 52, locatedabove the roof 53 of the building and in communication with thestandpipes. Pipes as 54, may also lead from the upper ends of thestandpipes 50, through the vertical walls of the building, and carry attheir outer ends lateral spraying pipes 55, for discharging water uponthe outer surfaces of such walls.

In stores, residences or other similar buildings there is preferablyused a rotary sprinkler, as shown in Fig. 4, such sprinkler comprising aplate 56, secured to the ceiling 57, a hub member 58 projectingdownwardly from such plate and carrying a rotatable easing 59, havingbearings, as shown at 60, 61, upon the plate 56. Spraying nipples as 62,63, radiate from the casing 59, and may be so shaped as to cause therotation of this casing by the discharge of the water from theiropenings.

ater may be supplied to each auxiliary main as 21, from the street main19, through the hydrant 22, the valves of the latter being set in theposition shown in Fig. 3, thus afi'ording an initial supply of wateravailable to the occupants of the building upon the breaking out offire. The arrangement of standpipes and controlling valves is such thatfrom the exterior of the building the water thus delivered from the mainmay be directed to the point to which it is needed for use and one ormore compartments may be thoroughly flooded.

Should the fire be uncontrollableby this means, fire engines may becalled into service. The valve 29 is now shifted to close the passage25, the suction pipe of a fire engine is attached to one of the nipplesas 27, of the hydrant 22, and its delivery pipe to the nipple 31 of thehydrant 30, thereby providing for the flooding of the building throughits piping system through the agency of the fire engine which ordinarilywould provide a much higher pressure than is used in the street main.The hydrant 22 may be provided with. as many nipples as desired, as mayalso the hydrant 30, thereby providing for the use of a plurality offire engines.

Should the fire be of such extent that the engines cannot be worked inthe immediate vicinity of the building or block, they may be attached tohydrants of adjacent or even remote buildings or blocks, the water beingdelivered therefrom through the connections 33, 84, uniting the variousauxiliary mains. This arrangement also provides for the use, ifnecessary, of a much larger number of engines, all delivering watercumulatively through the piping system of the building where the fire isin progress.

Any desired form of spraying devices may be employed in connection withthe system, though with my present experience I would prefer the formsherein shown and described.

\Vhen pumping engines are employed for delivering water at high pressurefrom the main 19 to the auxiliary pipes 20, 21, at any of the placesprovided for that purpose, the

direct connections between the main and the same auxiliary pipe or anyother auxiliary pipe which may be in communication therewith through theconnecting pipes 33, 34, is preferably closed, for otherwise the highpressure created in the auxiliary pipe by the pumping engine would belost by a return of water into the main 19. Similarly the pipes 33, 2-H,leading from the auxiliary as pipe 20, with which engines are connectedto the next auxiliary pipe more remote from the location of the fire,but not having engines connected to it, are closed, thus limiting thearea within which high pressure is to be maintained by the pumpingengines. lVhile I have illustrated hydrants for the connection ofpumping engines at the corners of the building blocks only, obviouslythe number of engines which may be used for increasing the pressure ofany auxiliary pipe or series of auxiliary pipes may be increased throughthe use of a greater number of these hydrants, as by locating them atintervals intermediate the ends of the building blocks.

In the form of spraying device shown in Fig. d of the drawings, the hubmember 58 about which the rotatable casing 59 turns, is provided with acentral aperture (3%, through which the wires or pipes leading to achandelier secured to the lower end of the hub member and supportedthereby may pass.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a fire extinguishing system, in combination, a water supply mainserving a plurality of blocks of buildings, a continuous pipe extendingaround each of the blocks of buildings, a plurality of independentvalvecontrolled service pipes leading into the several buildings of thecorresponding block from each of the said continuous pipes,valve-controlled direct connection between the water supply main andeach of the said continuous pipes, hydrants each having a hose-attachingnipple and valve-controlled connection with one of the said continuouspipes, and hydrants each having a hose-attaching nipple, a passagecommunicating with the main and with the nipple, a passage communicatingwith one of the coir tinuous pipes, and a valve for connecting saidpassages and cutting otf connection with the nipple in alternation,whereby each of the continuous pipes is adapted to be connected to thewater supply main through a pump ing engine when the correspondingdirect connection between the continuous pipe and the water supply mainis closed.

2. In a fire extinguishing system, in combination, a water supply mainserving a series of blocks of buildings, an auxiliary pipe surroundingeach of the blocks of buildings,

a plurality of independent valve-controlled.

service pipes leading into the several buildings of the correspondingblock from each of the said auxiliary pipes, valve controlled connectionbetween adjacent auxiliary pipes, a hydrant upon each of the auxiliarypipes, and hydrants upon the water supply main whereby each of the saidauxiliary pipes is adapted to be connected with the water sun ply mainthrough a pumping engine.

In a fire extinguishing system, in combination, a water supply mainserving a series of blocks of buildings, an auxiliary pipe surroundingone of the blocks of buildings, a standpipe having valve-controlledconnection with the auxiliary pipe atits base entering a building of theblock, independent service pipes having valve-controlled connection withthe standpipe delivering to the several floors of the building, meansadjacent the foot of the standpipe for operating the service pipe valvesindependently, valvecontrolled direct connection between the watersupply main and the auxiliary pipe, a hydrant on the auxiliary pipe andhaving a hose-attaching nipple, and a hydranton the water supply mainhaving a hose-attaching nipple, a passage communicating with the mainand with the nipple, a passage communicating with the auxiliary pipe,and a valve for connecting the two passages and cutting ofi" connectionwith the nipple in alternation, whereby the auxiliary pipe and the watersupply main may be connected directly or through a pumping engine.

IVAR CORNELIUSSEN.

Vitnesses LOUIS K. GILLSON, Crnxnnns B. GILLSON.

